One of my favorite models, Kylee, needed a simple headshot for an application so she came by the studio on Saturday so I could shoot it. This gave me an opportunity to work in the studio environment for one of the first times with the two White Lighting monolights with large octaboxes that I recently added to my lighting setup.

By using the lighting setup diagrammed below, I was able to create a portrait isolated on a pure white background without the need for additional background adjustment or “cutting out” in Photoshop. The addition of the two octaboxes (36″ and 48″) to my existing three softbox inventory has greatly increased my versatility in the studio. Additionally, I really like the round(ish) catchlights from these lights compared to the rectangular shaped catchlights I get with my large softboxes.

Thanks Debbi. I do a very close to on-axis fill light. When setting the power, I meter the main and fill light independently. I set the main at f/8 and the fill between f/4 and f/5.6. The combined exposure is then just above f/8 (f/9-10).